Following the appointment of Dr. Kenneth Poenisch as Acting Director of Admissions on July 14, the majority of his duties in the area of student advising and related university committees have been assigned to Dr. Timothy P. Scott. In recognition of these additional duties, Dr. Scott will hold the title of Acting Associate Dean for Student Affairs in addition to his current title as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. In the latter role, he will continue his activities with the undergraduate curriculum, teacher preparation and certification, Advanced Placement workshops, and the Regents' Initiative. This means that Dr. Scott will now handle academic issues related to undergraduates (e.g. scholastic probation, grade appeals, etc). Dr. Scott's staff support (appointments, e-mail, etc.) will be handled primarily by Ms. Holly Sterling (845-7362) in Room 514 Blocker so the contact point for undergraduates will not change.

MAY GRADS ANNOUNCED

            Twenty-one chemistry majors received degrees at the May 9, 2003 commencement ceremony. Two students graduated summa cum laude (GPR > 3.9). They were: Amelia Hessheimer (B.S.), Sarah Holt (B.A.) and Jessica Raushel (B.S.). Haley Hagg had high enough grades to graduate summa cum laude but was not so designated because she did not take the requisite 75 credit hours at A&M. She had transferred many hours to A&M from the Texas Academy of Math and Science at UNT. Both Haley and Amelia graduated with all A’s from Texas A&M. Michael Gustavson (B.S.) graduated magna cum laude (GPR 3.70-3.899). Graduating cum laude (GPR 3.50-3.699) were Brooke Harstad (B.A.) and Aaron Justice (B.S.). Brooke received a double major in sociology and chemistry.

            Students receiving the B.A. degree were: Anna Allred, Wendy Covert, Walt Dannenberg, Nolan Griggs, Laurel Hansen, Brooke Harstad, Sarah Holt, Michael Irwin, Marinette Jones, Shanique Leonard, Marissa Mathes, Amy McMahon, and Claudia Wayland.

            Students receiving the B.S. degree were: Chassity Allen, Byron Collins, Michael Gustavson, Haley Hagg, Amelia Hessheimer, Aaron Justice, Daniel Marek and Jessica Raushel.

AUGUST GRADS ANNOUNCED

          Four chemistry students completed degree requirements and received their diplomas on August 15. Both Stephanie Hines and Javier Huertas received B.A. degrees and Travis Gilbreath and Jesus Hernandez were awarded B.S. degrees.

GRADES VIA THE WEB

            Students may now access their grades for any completed semester by using the new Internet Grade Display System. Simply go to: http://grades.tamu.edu

ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION

            The free Student Self-Service Enrollment Verification Link has been established. This program permits students to view their enrollment histories. You may also have enrollment verifications sent to student service providers such as health insurers and print enrollment certificates to provide to organizations at no charge. Current semester or summer session certifications are available the tenth class day. You may access this at http://verifyenroll.tamu.edu

OLD AGS

            Roxanne (Clardy) Davis (B.S. 1997) sent some news of her recent promotion in May. Here are the details. “Hope things are going well in the great state of Texas. I am in the process of moving to Springfield, MO. I just got a promotion to a Senior Engineer position...funny since I do not have an Engineering degree. But that is my title none the less. I will be the technical lead on a key productivity commercialization process for the facility and for Kraft Cheese Division. I am really excited!! Just wanted to drop a note. Hope all is well there. Take care.” Friends may contact Roxanne at: scottandroxanne@excite.com

              Clinton Leysath (B.S. 1998; B.S. in biochemistry 1999) is enrolled in the Ph.D. program in cell and molecular biology at the University of Texas in Austin where he is working in the lab of Dr. Brent Iverson.

            Anna Allred (B.A. 2003) was accepted into medical school at the University of Texas - San Antonio and began her orientation in July.

              Joseph Jessup (B.A. 2003) was accepted into The College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas for the fall semester. He will join Sarah Holt (B.A. 2003) and Elizabeth Edwards, who left our program after completion of her pharmacy requirements, in the fall class.

            Marinette Jones (B.A. 2003) called in June to say that she had accepted a position as a lab tech with Allergan in Waco. You may e-mail her at: marinettejones@yahoo.com

            Amy McMahon (B.A. 2003) has entered a forensic science graduate program at Florida International University in Miami.

            Valerie Meyers (B.S. 2000) sent the following e-mail over the summer. “Howdy Dr. Hogg!! I'm in Houston sweltering in the heat for the summer. It's all worth it though, because I'm at NASA! I received a graduate student fellowship through NASA's graduate student researchers program that requires an extramural experience at a NASA field center. I am working in the laboratory of Dr. Steven Gonda and continuing the bone research I am doing for my Ph.D. dissertation at UAB. The astronauts experience a quick deterioration in bone mineral density, the severity of which correlates with flight duration. In order to ever attain NASA's goal of sending people to Mars, we have to find a way to combat this process. The problem is primarily attributed to reduced bone production rather than an increase in bone resorption. I am looking at adult bone marrow stem cells, which have the capacity to differentiate into several cell types, including bone cells. A decrease in the differentiation of these cells into bone cells may be contributing to the decline in bone mass experienced by astronauts as well as aging individuals. I was able to pass my qualifying exam in March of this year, so I am officially a Ph.D. candidate, and there is light at the end of the tunnel! I'm hoping the experience here at NASA will turn into a full time position when I finally get the degree in about a year.

            Stephanie Hines (B.A. 2003) became Stephanie Raney on June 14, 2003 when she married Adm Raney. Stephanie will begin her teaching career as a chemistry teacher at Jersey Village High School this fall. Friends may send congratulations to: Stephmarta@hotmail.com

            Here is a slightly edited version of an e-mail I received from Bobby Delafield (B.S. 1998) in July. “Hello Dr. Hogg, How have you been? I have been doing well. I think I had told you already, but I got married in January and what you may not know is I graduated in May from UTA with my Masters in Chemistry and am presently an adjunct professor at a few different places around DFW. My wife, Leah, is still a student at UTA working on her nursing degree. She plans to become a Nurse Anesthetist after graduating. My plans are to go to law school actually and become a patent attorney dealing specifically with chemistry. Because you can only start in the fall, I will start fall 2004, but I plan to take the Patent Bar Exam early (before law school) to get it out of the way. Actually, Dr. Hogg, your Orbitals newsletter has been very helpful to me because a few months ago, you included a letter from [redacted] whom I didn't know, but wrote him e-mail hoping he could give me some info about law school with a chemistry background because that is what he is doing. He has been a great source of information and very nice and I really appreciate all he has told me and I wouldn't have been able to talk to him if it weren't for Orbitals. I guess the most important information he gave me was that law school was easy compared to your organic class. Hopefully, I will come down to College Station soon to see the campus and a couple of friends who are getting their Masters there and I can stop in and say hi. Tell Marilyn, Dr. Bergbreiter and Dr. Yennello I said hello and have a good Fourth of July! Sincerely, Bobby Delafield”

You may contact Bobby at: bobby_delafield@yahoo.com

            Celeste Davis(B.S. 2000) sent the following slightly edited e-mail in July. “ Dr. Hogg, I am actually completing my last day at work at the Hispanic Ad Agency. I am moving on to greatness. As of next week, I will be working for Raba Kistner Engineering Consultants as a Marketing Communications Coordinator in their New Business Development Department. I believe there will be a press release going out in a couple of weeks and I can send you a copy, if you want. I am very excited to be able to use my education. Granted the knowledge of marketing I have established with my current company was a great aid in achieving the position, but so was being an Aggie. Raba is loaded with Aggie engineers and since my initial background was Chem E coupled with my high school participation at Vanderbilt in their PAVE program it all helped land me the job. All of the Rabas also are former students. It seems the network does work! As you can tell I am super happy to be going back to the science techy side of work. Raba seems like a really good move for me, they even have a soil and aggregate lab in house. Well, I will be in touch when I have new contact info and will let you know of any other major changes. I am glad you have kept in touch! Take care, Celeste” Contact Celeste at:celestualstarz@yahoo.com

            Valerie Drews (B.S.1998) provided the following update on her life recently. “Hi Dr. Hogg, I'm still in grad school getting my PhD in neuroscience at the University of Michigan. My mentor is Miriam Meisler and I'm in the human genetics department. Our lab works on neuronal sodium channels. I'm investigating the transcriptional regulation of Scn8a, the major sodium channel at the nodes of Ranvier. I think I'll be finished in 1.5 years, but with a PhD you never really know for sure until its done. :) If you wanted to know anything else, drop me a line. Hope you're staying cool down in Texas. I think I'll be in town at the end of September for an Aggie game. I'll try to stop by and see if you're in the office. Valerie” You may contact Valerie at: vdrews@umich.edu

            Gabriella Guzzio (B.S. has moved to San Diego and has communicated the following about her new life: “Hi John! Well, in September 2002 I moved to San Diego, CA, for many reasons. I sold my house in Sugarland, packed up Bailey and all my belongings and headed west. After about 2 months of unemployment - which I LOVED -I found a job through a temp agency, YOH Scientific, at a young R&D company, REVA Medical, Inc. I am now a full time employee and am really enjoying myself. I am the Analytical Chemist and Safety Coordinator. Our company is working on developing a drug-eluting resorbable stent. For my part, I arrange testing of our materials, compile the data and report back to those that requested the information. There are about 15 permanent people and about 5 temps/part-time workers...so, we're nice and small. I work with a fairly young group, mostly engineers, and very dynamic people...it is great. The new work experiences have been really neat. Since we are small, everyone works very well together to get things done. I've learned a lot about mechanical testing techniques, small venture-capital companies, and the R&D environment. Also, I was the assistant on 2 animal implants (that was an experience!). Take care, Gabriella” You may contact Gabby at: gvg124@aol.com 

            Anita Patel (B.A. 2002) is teaching chemistry and IPC at Foster High School in the Rosenbury/Richmond area for LCISD

            Dr. Shelley Lenamond (B.A. 1998) has now completed medical school the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and is doing a residency in family medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital. She and her husband, Mitchell, have an 18-month old son, Ethan. You may contact her at: shellenamond@hotmail.com 

            Roberto Rodriguez (B.A. 1998) is teaching high school in El Paso after going back to school to get his teacher certification from UTEP, through the ACP (Alternative Certification Program). This next year will be his fifth year teaching, and he has taught regular Chemistry, Pre-AP Chemistry, and AP Chemistry. It may not be the most glamourous of jobs, but it's sure one of the most rewarding, according to Roberto’s e-mail. You can contact him at: R_RDGZ@hotmail.com 

            Stuart Gregory (B.S. 1994) is still working at Eli Lilly and sent the following this summer. “Howdy from Indianapolis. Things here are rolling right along. After suffering through a cold, snowy winter, and a long wet spring we are finally hitting the steady hot temps. It really brings out the best in Texans such as myself to have it get so hot! The big news here is that my wife and I are expecting our first child in December! We are so excited and can't wait for the new addition. While we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl yet, we would be delighted with either. We have already purchased our first little Ag piece of clothing...some infant Aggie socks! Can't wait to outfit the little feller in maroon from top to bottom! I have remained active in the local A&M club here in town. Since helping start the official club in 1995 I have held some sort of position every year. This year I put together a new event for our club...the first annual Texas A&M Indiana Club's Track Trek. We headed out in the middle of May to the Indy 500 track where we set up a small shelter, grilled out burgers, dogs, and brats and shared a few brews and old Ag stories. We got to met some new Ags in the process which is always nice. There is nothing like watching a car do 230 mph to get your adrenaline going! We are hoping to do this event every year.

        Work at Eli Lilly is still going well. I am working in the same lab I started in and am now an Asst Sr. Organic Chemist. After helping push our last project into human clinical trials, I am now working on an obesity target. The same things that attracted me to this job are still getting me up everyday and into work....ability to be creative, to work with my hands, the every increasing technical aspects of synthesis, and the ability to dig into research and set my own schedule. I have even begun to work on the a team here in charge of evaluating and initiating new research efforts into Discovery Research. This is a new and exciting way to apply what have I learned as a Medicinal Chemist.

            I still always keep part of my mind on Texas A&M on a regular basis. Despite my Midwest location, I have succeeded in attending one Aggie football game (either home or away) ever since I graduated. This year I am getting a group of 7 buddies and heading down to Virginia Tech to see the Ags beat up on the Hokies on a Thursday night. Afterwards we are sticking around and rafting the number 2 stretch of white water in the US...the Gauley River in West Virginia. We are looking forward to the combo trip quite a bit.

            Hope all is well back in Aggieland. Give my best to the department. Contact Stuart to congratulate him at: GREGORY_G_STUART@Lilly.com

            Dr. Patty Lathan (B.A. 1998) wrote with the following update of her life’s adventures this summer. “Hey, Dr. Hogg. Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. As of this moment, I'm sitting in the emergency room at the Mississippi State University College Of Veterinary Medicine, waiting for a hemophiliac cat to arrive. I just moved here from Pennsylvania and started an internship on July 1. It's the first step towards obtaining a residency in small animal internal medicine. Albert stayed in Pennsylvania, as marketing jobs in the pharmaceutical industry are not abundant down here. Alas, I've enjoyed my first two weeks of the internship, and am learning a ton. And, of course, I'm thrilled to return to a college town in the south after living in the Northeast for 5 years. NOT recommended!

            How's everything going down there? How are the kitties? I remember one was on steroids permanently for his skin--he's still doing well? And I guess the kids are all grown up and far away now, huh? The kitty has arrived--gotta go. Take care and please say "hi" to Marilyn and Janet for me.” You may contact Patty at her permanent forwarding e-mail address: PattyLathan@alumni.upenn.edu

            Lindy (Sparks) Stoll (B.S. 1994) wrote to say that she is enjoying spending time with her 8 month old twin boys and is not actively seeking any other employment at the time. She and her husband live in Louisville, KY and may be contacted at: bdstoll@bellsouth.net

            Deron Wood (B.S. 1991) responded to my request for an update on his career with the following information. “Howdy Dr. Hogg, Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I am still working for FritoLay (PepsiCo) here in Dallas. I am a Systems Administrator for our corporate Oracle Financials Package. So I do a lot of programming and software installation in my current position. I am still living in Frisco (north of Plano) and enjoying it very much. We had a daughter, Sabrina Louise Wood, September 23, 2002, Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2025 :) :) We will have season tickets again this year so we make frequent trips to College Station. Hope everything is going fine for you and Marilyn there in the department. Take care and let me know if you need more details :) Deron” You may contact Deron at: Deron.Wood@pbsg.com

            Dr. Michael Lacey (B.S. 1996) wrote to say he is getting married. Here are the details and more. “Howdy, Dr. Hogg. Sorry about the delayed response. One of the things that I've been doing lately is preparing for my wedding in September. My fiancee and I met in graduate school at the University of Illinois. I currently live in Baton Rouge, LA, and work in Process Research for ExxonMobil. Since my fiancee works for Dow in Freeport, TX, there has been a lot of weekend commuting. To make wedding preparations a little more challenging, we are getting married in her home state of Utah. I hope that all continues to go well for you at A&M. You were not in the office the last time that I visited College Station on a weekday. Whenever I make another trip to A&M, I would certainly like to get together. If you find yourself in/around Baton Rouge, please let me know. Take care, Mike” Michael finished his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Illinois in 2001. Wedding congratulations may be sent to: melacey@yahoo.com

            Shawn Kucera (B.A. 2000) wrote with some details of his graduate studies at UT-Austin. “Hey Dr. Hogg, It’s really good to hear from you! I’ve been meaning to write you an e-mail but things have been so hectic. I really do enjoy reading the Orbitals when I get them and reading about what’s going on in the Chem Dept. at TAMU. As for me, I’m doing great. Penn State just wasn’t working out for me. I didn’t really like the program that much and I just couldn’t see the “big picture” for after I graduated. So, I’m now back in Texas…Austin, to be exact. I just completed my first year of graduate school at “that other school”. Actually, I really like the program here a lot. I’m in the Pharmaceutics Ph.D. program under Dr. James McGinity. Actually Pharmaceutics is a really broad field of study. I’m working in the Industrial Pharmacy area which concerns the manufacture and preparation of drug dosage forms and drug delivery systems. Every year our group goes to the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Conference. Last year it was in Toronto and everyone from my group (excluding me) had at least 1 poster to present. This year, the Conference is in Salt Lake City and I will have a poster! My research now concerns stabilizing polymeric films that are applied to controlled- and sustained-release dosage forms, such as pellets, tablets, etc. I’m really excited about this!

If you know anyone about to graduate that is interested in this field of study, please have them contact me at this e-mail address. The program is really challenging because not only does it require a working knowledge of pharmacy, but chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, and polymer chemistry are all building blocks that we use to further our research. As I said earlier, I will be more than happy to correspond with anyone interested in a program such as this.Once again, it’s been great hearing from you! I hope to be coming back to College Station sometime soon and will definitely stop by and chat with you.

Thanks for all your help. I really don’t think that I would be in the position I am now if I wouldn’t have had you as an advisor. Take care and see you soon! Sincerely (and Gig ‘Em), Shawn Kucera” Contact Shawn at: skucera@mail.utexas.edu

            Nathan Lett (B.S. 2000) provided this update during the summer. “Dr. Hogg: I am still working for Westport as a Geochemical Analyst. My work primarily centers on the analysis of crude oil, gas and other natural hydrocarbon products by gas and liquid chromatography. In the past year, I've also moved into isotopic analysis (carbon of oils/gases and hydrogen of waters/methane), biomarker analysis (GC/MS to determine source and age of oil and gas) and have been working extensively in reservoir continuity studies to determine connectivity between series of wells in the same field; a chemical and statistical endeavor. On a personal note, my sone Josh turned one year old on the 17th of June and my wife, Jennifer, and I just celebrated our second wedding anniversary this past Saturday, the 12th. We are still living in Northwest Houston and are looking to buy our first house sometime between now and the end of this year. Life is good. Hopefully, all things are well in Aggieland. If there's anything else I can provide, please don't hesitate to ask. Nathan” E-mail Nathan at: Nathan.Lett@WESTPORT1.COM 

            Angie Clinkenbeard (B.S. 1999) is still at Quintiles in Kansas City and here is what she has to say about her job and future plans. “Dr. Hogg, I currently hold a chemist position in an analytical laboratory at Quintiles Transnational, Inc., in Kansas City, Missouri. Quintiles is a full-service CRO (contract research organization) for the pharmaceutical industry. I am on a wonderful LC method development team, and we have a great supervisor. Although I miss Texas dearly, it’s difficult to leave such a great job environment. I have been employed here for 2 1/2 years. On a personal note, I recently became engaged to Jarred Worth '99. We met through the Heart of America A&M Club in Kansas City a couple years ago. Regards, Angie Clinkenbeard” Congratulate Angie on her engagement at: Angela.Clinkenbeard@quintiles.com  

            Tommie (T.A.) Hennard (B.A. 1991) and his wife announced the birth of a son with the following e-mail over the summer. “You caught me at a great moment for news, Dr. Hogg. My first child, a son, was born six days ago. Rebecca and I are staying at her parents’ house in England and the baby was born in a midwife community birthing center here. Absolutely fabulous system and, of course, a wonderous thing from a parent’s point of view. Rebecca and I are working at the American International School of Dhaka in Dhaka, Bangladesh where she teaches biology and I teach chemistry. The baby, Ross Edward Kinnersley Hennard, was born on June 28th in Staffordshire and is a big, lanky Texan-hybrid and healthy as a horse. We’ll be going back to Dhaka in mid-August. What a world! Thanks for the interest and I hope this finds you well. T.A. Hennard” Congratulations may be sent to: t_a_h_3@hotmail.com          

            Dr. Audra Robertson (B.A. 1995) has finished medical school at UT-San Antonio, following a stint in industry, and provided the following update of her life in July. “Hi, Dr. HOGG! It is so great to hear from you. It has been my intention to contact you since March '03 to give you my residency news but the move and change in lifestyle has overwhelmed my calendar. On March 20, 2003, I matched for residency at The Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology! These are the Harvard Medical School training hospitals where I am now an intern and a clinical teaching fellow of Harvard Medical School. I am very happy to be here. This was my first choice and a great program (I think it's the very best in the country). So, I am now living in Boston, MA as of June 15th. I started June 17th and have been at the hospital everyday since. Residency is HARD thus far... steep learning curve, lots of INTERESTING patients, and NO SLEEP. But I LOVE the experience. I graduated from The University on Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on Saturday May 24, 2003. I was ranked in the top quarter of my class! Big change from TAMU :->.... Since I was Class President (all 4 years), I had the honor of giving one of the closing commencement addresses. It was a TREMENDOUS experience. My family was in tears. Moving to Boston has been one TREMENDOUS experience on top of another. This place is SO DIFFERENT for a Texas transplant. So I am getting used to residency demands, the weather (nice right now), a new roommate (haven't had one since undergrad), a new culture of medical personalities, a new culture of city dwellers, BOSTON DRIVERS!!!, and a new City all at once. This is the challenge I was looking for but right now I am having to tread water before I can swim. My ultimate goal is to return to Texas (most likely Houston). I am planning to apply for fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology - if my interest stays in that direction after 2 more years (we apply early in our 3rd year). My family is in Houston and all are well. I am still single - like you said some years ago about "falling in love" - it can weigh on your ability to succeed when you are trying to accomplish something important.So that's on the back burner until I become somewhat proficient in residency. I'm getting paged so I gotta run, but tell Marilyn "Hello from Boston" and tell Dr. Bergbreiter "Hello and belated Congrats" (I read somewhere that he was recently honored and awarded - I don't remember for what exactly).Thank you for the email. I will stay in touch. I trust your family is well. How are your kids? Done at UT (etc) I suppose. All My Best, Audra” Friends may communicate with Audra at: arobert13@prodigy.net

            Peter Duong (B.S. 2000) has completed the requirements for the Master’s of Education degree. He was enrolled in the post-baccalaureate program to obtain his teacher certification and taught in Somerville last year.

            Kelly Fox (B.S. 1998) sent an e-mail in July to say that she has recently become engaged to be married. Kelly reports that they have not yet set a definite date. She said that she met Rich (Mr. Right), an environmental consultant, through her work as an account executive with Pace Analytical Services in Houston. Kelly said he proposed while walking along a deserted beach after a romantic dinner cruise in Play del Carmen. (It is men like Rich that make my wife upset with the fact that I proposed to her in a chemistry lab!) Kelly sells environmental analytical services and reports that business is great. Friends may send congratulations to Kelly at: Kelly.Fox@pacelabs.com

            Dr. Wayne Couch II ( B.S. 1990) has a solo family practice/obstetrics practice in Rawlins, Wyoming. He and his wife, Jill, have four children, ages 11 months to 7 years. Jill recently (May 2003) completed her master’s in occupational therapy at Colorado State University. Wayne still enjoys many outdoor hobbies associated with the area and is writing a book on health care. His e-mail address is: waynecouch@hotmail.com

            Melinda Ledwig (B.A. 2002) completed the requirements for her Masters of Education degree this summer at Texas A&M University. She entered the post-baccalaureate teacher certification program immediately after completing her chemistry degree in May of 2002 and spent the 2002-2003 academic year teaching five different classes in Dime Box. She has accepted a position teaching chemistry at Ryan High School in Denton, Texas this year. She will be teaching Chemistry I and Chemistry I Pre-AP. Her new e-mail address is: mledwig@dentonisd.org.

            Linday (Sparks) Stoll (B.S. 1994) sent an e-mail recently to say she is busy taking care of her twins and is still in Louisville, KY. You may e-mail her at: bdstoll@bellsouth.net.

            Nolan Griggs (B.A. 2003) married Christina McDonald on August 9^th in Lubbock.

            David Trueba (B.S 2001) wrote to say that his wife is now teaching third grade math/science/language arts in LaPorte. Their daughter, Emma, I now about a year and a half old. David still works at Celanese in Clear Lake where he has been trained as a Six Sigma Project Leader. This is a system that uses statistics to solve complex industrial processes. He had some interaction with two current chemistry majors, Vanessa Chapa and Adam King, who were doing summer internships at Celanese this past summer. David’s new e-mail address is: David>Trueba@celanese.com.

            Haley Hagg (B.S. 2003) sent the following e-mail recently. “Hi Dr. Hogg, Just thought I'd drop you a line to say hi. I love Rochester and the Mayo Clinic. I have been here for almost a month now, and I am just beginning my third week of classes and lab work. I can't say that my course in Genome Biology is as exciting to me as advanced organic chemistry, but I am learning a lot of useful information anyway. I've got some great classmates, too, so that has made things really nice. I am enjoying my first lab rotation, even though I'm still riding the learning curve to understand the background of the different projects and to learn how to use the protein modeling software. This week I will be starting some work in solid phase synthesis, as well. The weather is great here!! It's considered a really hot day if it gets into the 90's. But most days it stays in the 80's; and the nights are cool and pleasant. There are tons of trails for walking, running, biking, and roller blading, so I have been availing myself of the opportunity to exercise outdoors nearly every day. I'm sure that in a few months though, I'll be emailing you with woes of snow and subzero temperatures - then you can remind me that you are still wearing t-shirts and shorts down in Texas!” You may contact Haley at: haley@aggienetwork.com

            John Steinbach (B.S. 1989) has moved to the Celanese facility at Clear Lake. He is now a production chemist/production engineer in the acrylic acid unit.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH POSITIONS

            Several faculty members have contacted me recently indicating they would like to have some more undergraduate chemistry majors as research students. If you are interested please contact them individually by e-mailing them. The faculty who contacted me are: Drs. Clearfield, Miller, North and Schaak. You may find out about their research interests at: www.chem.tamu.edu and you may find their e-mail addresses at the site as well.  

UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION

            Please go into the Bonfire System and update your current address and local phone number as soon as possible. It is important that we be able to contact you and this is often a problem. It is not unusual to find phone numbers that are two or three years out of date for undergraduate chemistry majors.

SIXTY FRESHMEN JOIN THE DEPARTMENT

            We welcome sixty freshman chemistry majors to the department for the fall 2003 semester. Their names and hometowns are listed below.        

LAST             FIRST            HIGH SCHOOL                                           CITY 

Adams            James              Groesbeck High School                                  Thornton 

Akin                Anne               Winnsboro High School                                 Winnsboro 

Almodovar     Luisa               Del Rio High School                                      Del Rio 

Anderson        Erik                 Glendale High School                                    Springfield, MO 

Beall               Kelley             Hemphill High School                                    Milam 

Biales              Lauren          Westlake High School                                    Austin 

Bissett             Blake              Pflugerville High School                                Pflugerville 

Boesl              Neil                 Magnolia High School                                   Magnolia 

Brawley          Amanda          Cy-Fair Senior High School                           Cypress

Clark               Chase              Ozona High School                                        Ozona 

Cobb               Leslie              Port Neches-Groves High School                   Port Neches 

Dihn                Tiffany            Eisenhower High School                                Houston 

Dohmann        Rachel            Plano East Senior High School                      Plano 

Dubose           Jennifer           Permian High School                                     Odessa

Elias                Erin                 Deer Park High School S Campus                 Deer Park 

Evans              Stephanie        Rockport-Fulton High School                        Rockport 

Ewers              Trevor             Sharyland High School                                   Mission 

Farooq            Daarina           James Madison Sr. High School                     Houston  

Fortin              William          Central High School                                       San Angelo 

Gallagher        Mark               Kingwood High School                                  Kingwood 

Galloway        Andrew           Somerset High School                                    Somerset 

Glass               Kelly               Lamar High School                                        Arlington

Gomez            Dahlia             Fort Stockton High School                             Fort Stockton 

Hall                 Kristin            Lumberton High School                                 Lumberton 

Holsonback     Christopher     Rowlett High School                                      Rowlett 

Honesty          Nicole             Killeen High School                                       Killeen 

Huggins          Nicholas         Bishop Lynch High School                            Garland 

Icke                 Amber            John Marshall High School                            San Antonio 

Iglewski          Adam              Lawrence D. Bell High School                      Bedford 

Johnston         Brent               Nimitz High School                                        Irving 

Keyser            Matthew         Stephen F. Austin High School                      Sugar Land 

Kovacic          Sasha              Bishop Lynch High School                            Dallas 

Martinez         Elvia               Edinburg North High School                          Linn 

Mettauer         Samuel            Palestine High School                                    Palestine 

Mitchell          Robert             Ropes High School                                         Ropesville 

Mora               Maria              Eisenhower High School                                Houston 

Nagel              Jocelynn         Victoria Memorial High School                     Inez 

Nicholson       John                Heights School                                               Rockville, MD 

Nieto               Lauren            Pine Drive Christian School                           League City

Noormohammadi Omid       Clear Brook High School                               Webster 

Overall            Jenna              Milano High School                                       Milano 

Pisharodi         Shyala             St. Joseph Academy                                       Brownsville 

Rambo            Lauren            Everman High School                                    Everman 

Rattler             Tiffany            Carnegie Vanguard High School                    Houston 

Regan             Katherine        Trinity High School                                        Bedford

Rhone             Lyndsey          Latexo High School                                        Crockett 

Rinando          Lauren            Monsignor Kelly Catholic H.S.                      Beaumont

Rodroguez      Julie                Monmouth Regional High School                  Eatontown, NJ 

Sanders           Craig               Kingwood High School                                  Kingwood

Schulze           Kimberly        Rockwall High School                                   Rockwall 

Shaw               Halley             Lancaster E Robertson H.S.                          Lancaster 

Shuff               Andrew           Home School                                                  Houston

Smith              Caitlyn            Bishop Lynch High School                            Mesquite 

Sprouse           Lauren            St. Michael's Academy                                   Dripping Springs

Stranahan        Sarah              Huntsville High School                                  Huntsville, AL 

Stroh               Meghan           Waco High School                                         Waco 

Swingle          Sarah              Academy of Sacred Heart                              LaFayette, LA 

Tu                   Evan               William P. Clements H. S.                             Sugar Land 

Wetch             Stephanie        Fort Bend Bapt. Academy                              Sugar Land 

Wisecup          Sarah              Cypress Creek High School                           Houston

ONE DOZEN TRANSFER MAJORS

            An even dozen transfer students joined the department as chemistry majors over the summer. We welcome them.

Last                First               School            

Blackburn       Justin              North Harris County College 

Bogle              Kevin              Texas Tech University 

Chau               Hao(Wha)       Baylor University

Doss                Lauren            Sam Houston State University 

Fadner            Brandon          Stephen F. Austin University

Fraser              Rachel            North Harris County College 

Launer            Laura              North Harris County College

Neeley            Morgan           University of Texas - Austin 

Ortiz               Miguel            University of Texas-El Paso 

Sauls               Doris               Alvin Community College

Steele              Sondra            Kettering University 

Zurovec          Joseph             Wharton County Jr. College